


Chasing Demons

by chemiclord



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Attempted Seduction, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-14
Updated: 2020-08-14
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:00:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25888492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chemiclord/pseuds/chemiclord
Summary: Zelda hated being treated like a child.  So Impa demanding to meet with her, even though Link and Zelda hadn't done anything wrong, was sure to set off all of Zelda's ire.
Relationships: Link/Zelda (Legend of Zelda)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 77





	Chasing Demons

Zelda really didn't like going to Kakariko Village.

Not that there was anything particularly _wrong_ with the Sheikah settlement. It had stood as a bastion of resistance for a hundred years, and deserved nothing but the highest praise for their tenacity through increasingly dire and seemingly hopeless odds. She just wasn't always comfortable around its leader.

It wasn't even anything about Impa as a person. The leader of the Sheikah was wise, compassionate, strong-willed, and any other virtue Zelda could think of. It was not an exaggeration at all to suggest that the only reason Hyrule survived the Calamity was because Impa had kept the fragmented resistance together for a _century_ while Link recovered. That deserved nothing but the highest of honor and respect.

Zelda didn't like _waiting_ for Impa in situations such as these; because Impa had a way of making the eighteen-year-old princess feel very much like a child. Especially since Zelda knew _exactly_ why Impa had requested her presence for a “short meeting.”

It was annoying because Zelda _didn't do anything wrong_ . And even if she _had_ , Impa wasn't her mother, and had no business butting into this matter. Yet, courtesy demanded even the wayward Princess of Hyrule answer these summons and be lectured for her improprieties.

If anything, _Zelda_ was the aggrieved party here! None of Impa's personal attendants had _any_ business entering Link's (and Zelda's) home in Hateno without permission. Why wasn't Canta being reprimanded for her breach of privacy? Because once the Sheikah girl found Link and Zelda sleeping peacefully in the same bed... _that_ apparently was a scandal that _had_ to be addressed _immediately_.

At the very least, Link should have been included. It's not like she had been _alone_.

For what it was worth, Link seemed certain _his_ turn was coming, and that it wouldn't come in the form of any formal summon, and more like a handful of Sheikah being ordered not to return until they got a few licks in.

Zelda mused that if the shiekah weren't significantly better than their Yiga brethren... that would probably take a while.

Unless Link willingly “took his punishment” for being in such a “compromising position.” Which he might. He might not think it worth a fight, and just take the beating. He could be so very frustrating in that regard. If he was ready for a battle, he might as well be a fierce deity, a figurative god of war that could give even a force of nature pause. But if his heart wasn't in it, he could very easily be pushed around by people who had no business breathing the same air as him.

She hoped he would stand up for himself if what he expected to happen happened. _He didn't do anything wrong, either_.

“My apologies for the wait, your highness,” Impa's voice finally called up, the elderly Shiekah being helped down the stairs by Paya, who immediately retreated outside the home once Impa was settled onto her seat. “I appreciate you answering my summons so promptly.”

Zelda tried not to sound petulant. She wasn't sure if she succeeded. “No sense wasting time when we can get this over with promptly.”

Impa hummed deviously, and it was not a sound Zelda wanted to hear. “Then I suppose I shall cut straight to the point. Is _this_ why you didn't want to stay with us in Kakariko? Because you wanted to seduce your knight out of station or wedlock where I couldn't readily learn of it?”

Zelda decided to ignore Paya's scandalized squeak from just outside the door, and focused on composing her response. She had practiced this answer, but she didn't want it to sound _too_ practiced.

Finally, the princess said with as much composure as she could muster, “I chose to stay in Hateno _temporarily_ because it was an already established town, I could avoid the implication that I was preferring the Sheikah over any other race, and Link already had a home there. It was a matter of practicality, not lust.”

Now... to the part that was a little less practiced. Impa deserved to know this answer, no matter how hard it was for Zelda to speak of it. She hated the idea that Calamity Ganon still had any influence, that he held _any_ power now that he was but a speck in the ether beyond.

But he did.

“As for why my knight and I were found in a 'compromising state,' that is entirely because of me,” she began, her voice beginning to waver. “Whenever I close my eyes, I still see the Calamity, like shadows hovering in the back of my eyelids. Whenever I try to slumber... I am back in that disembodied state, the Calamity taunting me, haunting me.”

Zelda's body started trembling along with her voice. “I suffered in that lightless, empty existence for a _century_ , Impa. My very _spirit_ is scarred from that sleepless war. The _only_ way I discovered I can get even a _decent_ night's sleep is in Sir Link's presence. He's the _only_ way I can banish the nightmares.”

Her emotions running the gauntlet through torment and despair, they turned to righteous defiance. Her posture stiffened, she raised and set her jaw, then said, “So if you wish to punish _anyone_ , it had better be me, and me alone. Because if I find you have even so much as displaced a hair on my loyal knight's head, rest assured that _any_ good will between myself and the Sheikah people will be _wholly spent_. Am I clear?”

Paya again yelped from the through the door, this time in fright at the intensity of the princess's words. Impa had leaned back, eyes wide, and Zelda had to admit taking no small bit of delight in seeing the wizened Sheikah appearing to be... intimidated.

Impa finally coughed quietly once, and returned to her original posture. “I... am sorry, your highness. I had not realized that the scars of your trials ran so deep. Perhaps I should not have presumed your intent. If that is all that it truly is... I must abide, and offer you my humblest apologies.”

Zelda wasn't sure why she kept talking, because she dove into a topic that she had not even _tried_ to broach even with herself. Partially because she already knew what that deepest part of her wanted to say, and had been so very careful to not let it out.

And it escaped at potentially this most inopportune time.

“And what if I _was_ 'seducing' Sir Link?” Zelda demanded. “Why should I be blamed for that? He is dashing, heroic, valorous, smart, clever, thoughtful, compassionate, caring, resourceful, attentive, loving, and any number of other complementary words I could use. He has the strength of a bear, the tenderness of a newborn fawn, the watchfulness of a falcon, and the devotion of a prize hound. How could I _not_ be charmed by such a man? Goddesses know half of Hyrule has been at some point.”

This time Paya yelped in shame.

“Why should our stations matter?” Zelda challenged. “I'd barely be a princess in even ceremonial terms at this point. The number of people who even _remember_ my royal position could possibly be counted on both our hands! So again, I ask you, what if I _was_ trying to romance Link?”

And Impa responded with a lurid, throaty laugh. “I'd suggest you find something a bit more revealing.”

Zelda was so very much _not_ anticipating such an answer that she mentally stumbled over it. “What?”

Impa's cheeks pulled into a suggestive grin. “That plain white cotton robe that Canta claimed you were wearing could _not_ have been doing your figure _any_ favors. _That's_ why I summoned you here. If you wish to claim your darling knight, you _clearly_ need some lessons.”

Every inch of exposed skin on Zelda's body started to turn pink. While she had no doubt whatsoever that she wasn't the slightest bit versed in romantic overtures, she wasn't sure she was ready to be educated on that topic by _Impa_ . That felt very, _very_ wrong, in ways that the princess could not begin to enumerate.

So she deflected the conversation to a slightly more tolerable topic that wouldn't get her head to explode. “So... you _didn't_ summon me to chide me?”

Impa scoffed. “Of course not. That wouldn't be my place... even _if_ your affections are or were verboten, which they aren't and weren't.”

Zelda blinked, and her jaw momentarily went slack while her mind whirled to make sense of what she was hearing. “Wait... are you suggesting any affection between myself and my personal knight _wasn't_ forbidden?”

Again, the wizened Sheikah chortled. “Oh, quite the _opposite_ , your highness. Your father was _delighted_ to discover that you had warmed to Sir Link after your adventures in the Gerudo Desert. He said it bode well for your acceptance of his decision.”

Zelda's heart started audibly pounding in her chest, and she could feel her cheeks starting to burn again. “What... decision?”

“Your father had decided shortly after Sir Link drew the Master Sword that the young knight be offered your hand after he triumphed over the Calamity. I don't know how public he made that decision, but it was something that he was quite determined to do up to his death.”

Zelda reeled. She had struggled with her feelings for nearly a _year_ after Link saved her from certain death, fretting about her future, and how she would inevitably be required to marry some haughty nobleman to continue the royal line. When her resolve was at its weakest, she accepted that worry was because her heart had already been stolen by the handsome and oddly charming knight assigned to guard her. “Did... did Link know?”

Impa shrugged, “If he did at one time, he assuredly doesn't _now_ , or you wouldn't be needing to seduce him. If I had to say, however, I'd suspect he never did. I never got the sense he defended you out of any promise of a reward, and you are well versed at how your father liked to keep his intentions close to the vest, if you will.”

Zelda liked hearing that. She liked the idea that his devotion was out of his duty – and maybe even a little bit of affection himself – rather than the idea that he'd have the princess as a trophy wife. Not that she could tell, as frustratingly impassive as the man could be. Even in the nights these last handful of months, as she laid nestled in his arms and entertained... escalating the situation, she hadn't even _tried_ to be more forward, because he had handled her so politely and chastely that it seemed wrong to try and sully him with her affection.

The fair princess nobly preserving the honor of her rugged, dashing knight. There was a backward fairy tale for the masses.

“So... I sense that this _is_ something you desire, your highness?”

Zelda sighed. No point in trying to deny it _now_ . “Yes. There were more than a handful of times where I'm amazed I _didn't_ act out in such a matter, both before and after the fall.”

A memory came to her unbidden, after her failure on Mt. Lanyru just before Calamity Ganon's rise, how supportive and considerate Link had been as they descended the mountain. Then together by a fire in a cave to wait out the night before disaster... Zelda still wasn't entirely sure how or where she called up the strength to not rip his pants off right then and there.

“Well then, if I may offer my expertise...”

Zelda looked up at the old Sheikah and must have betrayed her skepticism, because Impa retorted indignanty. “I have two sons and three daughters by three husbands, and seventeen – soon to be eighteen – grandchildren. Rest assured, your highness, you are not going to find a more expert mind in how to seduce the object of your affection than myself.”

When Impa put it _that_ way... the elderly Sheikah made a lot of sense. “Very well, Impa... teach me.”

Impa smiled again, this time in a way that Zelda could only describe as predatory. “Paya!” She shouted out to her granddaughter outside. “Go fetch that nightgown you had been coveting for the last month in Lope's shop. Tell her to take it out of my account, and make it quick!”

The was the sounds of scrambling from the other side of the door, and Impa added, “Paya had fancied that wisp of cloth herself, but I suspect you will get _much_ more immediate use out of it. Now, you must learn how to present yourself. Do listen carefully...”

* * *

To say Zelda was nervous was an understatement. She looked up and down at the “wisp of cloth” by Impa's terms and decided it was in fact a _very_ accurate definition of the article. It was practically see through, with just enough translucency to preserve the barest of modesty. The “skirt” of the gown, if one wanted to give it _that_ much credit, barely dropped below her buttocks by a finger's width. Zelda was a bit astonished to learn that wasn't because she was taller than recommended. No, that was by _design._ If anything, she was a shade _shorter_ than the ideal wearer, according to Paya.

In any normal setting, she wouldn't even have the courage to wear this without anyone else present.

But then from the other side of the folding partition, she heard Link setting down the glass of water on the end table next to the bed, water that he unfailingly provided for her every night just in case she got thirsty while sleeping. Just another one of those little things he did for her that made her heart quiver.

She was _doing this_ . Modesty be _damned_.

“It's a rather warm night, don't you think?” She said as conversationally as she could, hoping beyond hope that she didn't sound nervous to her quarry's ears.

His reply was one of curiosity; that it didn't seem any warmer than last night, but that he was hardly a particularly good judge of temperature unless it was searingly hot or bitterly cold.

“Well, nonetheless, I hope you don't mind if I wear something a little... lighter.”

At which point, she pushed open the partition, and let Link get a good look at her.

The handsome knight promptly spit out the water he had been drinking in a most inglorious fashion. His pupils dilated, the deep black overwhelming the normally vibrant blue irises as his gaze darkened. His eyes darted up and down, like they couldn't decide what part of her to focus on, and his entire face flushed.

That was a great sign, Impa had taught her. That meant her prey wouldn't be hard to ensnare.

She closed the distance between them while Link wiped his mouth dry; his valor demanding he try to look anywhere else, while another part of him was equally demanding that he belay that first order.

From there, she put a hand on his tunic covered chest, feeling the linen under her fingers in a new way. It had been comfortable to grip as the nightmares plagued her, carrying his scent to her nose and easing her unconscious mind, reminding her that Calmity Ganon _lost_ , and that she was somewhere safe.

While it was certainly soft for clothes, it couldn't have been at all comfortable to sleep in. Nor could the canvas trousers that he would also wear. All for her sake, to not make her feel uncomfortable as she fought with her nightmares.

That _needed_ to change.

“Link...” she began, stumbling over her tongue as she was finally unable to fight back the nerves. “I... I... don't want you to keep doing this.”

She cupped his left cheek with her right hand, and turned his head to face her, then tilted it down so that he got a good look down the loose collar of her nightgown. “I want... no, I _need_ more. If... if you're willing to have more.”

He stammered a reply about how it wouldn't be proper, and Zelda considered telling him about her father's edict. But she decided not to. If he wanted more than to be merely her knight, she wanted him to be able to do so without feeling he needed permission from someone else, much less someone long dead.

She knew that would potentially be a tall mountain for him to climb; Goddesses, he had only _just_ started calling her Zelda in private, rather than the honorifics that he had normally reserved. He never allowed himself to want _anything;_ and she needed him to want her... even if that meant that Impa's next step happened another night.

Not that she had any intention of giving up tonight.

She gently nudged open the collar of his tunic, slowly undoing each button starting from the top, and daring him to stop her. And while he whimpered uncertainly, he didn't make such a request. Nor did he stop her from pushing the tunic off his shoulders, though admittedly he could have been petrified by the audacity she was showing.

A look up into his eyes for clarification told a more accurate story. His nobility was warring with his desire, and Zelda committed herself to join the latter's side.

Time for her most devastating weapon.

She took two steps back, smiling naughtily as she went to sash of her nightgown, slowly pulling the two ends open, then dropping it to the floor while shrugging the rest of the sheer material off her shoulders.

At that point, Link looked like a barely caged wolf. His eyes were dark, every muscle in his magnificently toned body tense. But he still refused to move; his damnable valor still clinging with all its waning might.

Finally, in frustration, Zelda abandoned Impa's lessons, and said with annoyance as she threw her arms out, “Seriously, Link. I could not _be_ more inviting no matter how much I tried!”

To be fair to Impa, the old Sheikah _had_ said that the key to every man's desire was different; but she doubted that Impa would have predicted _that_ would be the key that broke Link's damnable composure.

But as Link finally lunged forward, enveloping her in his surprisingly powerful embrace, Zelda realized that was something she could concern herself with _much_ later.


End file.
